Auto Pilot

In this article, it discusses how humans are on "auto pilot" for nearly half the time they are awake. This means that instead of being focused on tasks at hand, they are looking into their own thoughts. A study was done earlier in the year which displayed how humans interact with the world. One of the ways is called the default network, and it becomes active when not much is going on around someone. When thinking through this network, people tend to plan and worry about the future rather than enjoy the present. In my opinion, I do not think people would think like this as much if society was not pressuring them into it. Thinking back on the past fourteen and a half years of school I have gone through, it seems to be the major area of my life where I have been taught to think only of the future. Every year we are told that what we are doing is preparing us for the next year of school. When questioned about something, teachers have always used the excuse that, "We are preparing you for next year." I understand that it is important to be prepared, but I think that society has placed too much importance on it. If we are always preparing for the future, we are never really living. Studies have also shown that this mind wandering does not make people happy. All the depression seen today starts to make sense when you hear these statistics. Our society has become so focused on being the best and being perfect that it has become impossible to not think of what will come next. I think that everyone should try and relax and wait for the surprises the future has in store instead of constantly worrying and planning ahead.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/your-brain-work/201011/new-study-shows-humans-are-auto-pilot-nearly-half-the-time